CH 6 || Last Breath

29 August 2010

Anvi’s POV

That’s it. I can’t take it anymore. I need to tell everyone what’s going on with me. I can’t keep things to myself, at least not now when my best friend got punished. Yes, the second punishment was given to Sara. She had an accident while cycling and the irony is she is a district-level cycling champion.

I had cried when I saw her lying in the hospital bed. Her injuries were way more serious than Vidya’s. The doctors are not sure whether she will be able to walk anytime soon or not. Her parents had decided not to let her become an athlete, which was her dream and this was all because of me.

“Will you stop crying or should I smack you on your head?” Sara asked angrily. I had been crying ever since I had come to the hospital.

“Damn girl! I am alive and yet you are crying as if I have died.” I hugged her tightly the moment those words came out of her mouth.

“Anvi, what’s wrong. I am alive and so what if the doctor says I can’t walk anytime soon. He didn’t say I can’t. Chill, babe.”

“It’s….al...all...be...because...of..me.”

“Idiot girl, just because you weren’t there with me. It doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”

“You got….got...Puni...punished….because….of..me...It’s my fault.”

“Anvi, are you high or something. What are you talking about?” Wiping my tears I pulled back and drank a glass of water before narrating everything to Sara.

“I knew something was wrong with you. You were suffering and yet chose to be silent,” she said.

“I am sorry,” I said, lowering my head. She hugged me and this time she was also crying.

“I am glad you are fine, you idiot girl. You have been suffering from all the shit and I didn’t have any idea,” she said crying. She asked me about the journal and I told her it was with me, as I always keep it with me only. I don’t want anyone else to get tangled in this mess because of me. Sara read the journal too and said,

“It looks ancient and these messages, they too seemed as if they were written years ago.”

“These messages were not here before.”

“Are you sure, no one had seen this journal except you?”

“More than sure.” Nodding at her, I said,

“Pass me that phone.” Her father’s phone was kept on the table and I passed it to her.

“What are you doing?” I asked her when I saw her typing something on google.

“Searching about it on google.”

“How will google solve this problem?”

“Stupid girl, this journal seemed ghosted to me or related to any cult or something. I am sure you are not the first one dealing with something like this and if someone had faced anything like this I am sure they would have shared their story.”

After continuously browsing and searching for half an hour she said, “Bingo.”

“What? Did you find anything?”

“Yes. Check this out.” She said and showed me her findings.

It said back in the 1950s there was a guy who came across such a journal. The story was similar to mine except for the fact that he got rid of that journal quickly.

All he did was tore the pages of the journal, painted it black so that no one could read it, and threw the papers in a river.

“Do you think it will work?” I asked as the last time destroying didn’t work.

“Google doesn’t lie. It always states facts.”

“I know, but….”

Holding my hand Sara assured, “It will work.”

“By the way, did you tell Aunt that uncle had started to smoke again?” she inquired and I shook my head.

“But what about his health then?” she asked in concern.

“I did become a brat but only on the party night. I had confronted him after coming back home and he promised he would not do it again.”

“Did he keep his promise?”

Shekhar's always keep their promises. You very well know the rules of our family and all.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said and we both laughed at some of my weird family rules.

“Do you think I should tell my family about it?” I was still not sure of the decision I had made in my mind.

“Do what you feel is right,” she said and I decided not to tell them.

I went to the lake in the evening and followed every step that the guy had written about. I couldn’t sleep for days, I felt if I would close my eyes the journal would appear but nothing happened.

Everything started to be on track and I was glad but still, a part of me was not at peace.

29 September 2010

It’s been a month since I threw the journal, but sometimes I still get scared. Sara thinks that I am being paranoid but I was horrified with the thought, 'what if it appeared again.'

“What are you thinking?” Sara whispered as I was immersed in my thoughts. She didn’t let me reply as she said,

“Whatever you are thinking, stop it for a while otherwise this new teacher will kill you.” I smiled at her and focused on the studies.

During recess, Sara asked me, “What did you bring for lunch?”

“Your favourite.”

“Cheese Sandwich.” she squealed in excitement. I took out the box but it wasn’t a box.

Shocked will be an understatement, instead, I was terrified. Instead of Lunch, There was The Red Journal in my bag.

Sara gasped and I could see she was equally terrified.

“Anvi...are..are you sure you destroyed it?” She stuttered which was enough proof of her being scared. I nodded in fear.

I opened the journal but there was nothing written in it, not even the life events of my great grandfather’s. I flipped the pages frantically but still, there was nothing. I didn’t know that either should be relieved that it was empty or should be scared that it was gone.

Sara took the journal from me and turned the pages calmly unlike me and after she was done showed me the last page of it which had a note stating,

‘You will meet your same fate as your father’s because Rules are not meant to be broken.’

I became numb reading it and didn’t know how to react. My dad knew about The Red Journal? Was he punished for breaking the rules? That’s what Nivedita Aunty and Shivam Uncle were arguing about?

All these questions flooded my mind.

“Anvi, listen to me.” I was not even in my right state to listen to her.

“Anvi, listen,” she shouted and turned my face towards her.

“You are going to tell everything to your family tonight, did you get it? This is messier than we thought and the only solution is to share it with your family.”

“Are you getting my point?” I nodded although I wasn't sure what to do. Tears kept running down my cheeks and Sara was calming me down. She took me to the medical room with an excuse that I was not well. None of us attended any lecture after recess. She asked me to have some rest but I couldn’t. All the recent happenings were running in my mind.

Sara carefully took me to my car after school got over where Bhaiya and Arpit were waiting for me. She lied to them, that I was not well and told me to tell my family everything tonight itself.

I sat inside the car and Bhaiya rested my head on his shoulder and asked me to sleep till we reached home. The car came to a halt after a few minutes. I woke up and found that we were at a traffic signal.

An old lady came and knocked on the front mirror beside Arpit. She had books in her hand and was probably selling them.

Arpit rolled the window and asked, “Do you have horror novels?”

“Of course, I have,” she said and handed him the one.

“I have read it already, don’t you have another,” he asked.

“No, this was the last piece of horror left but I have a new mystery novel named “Rules are not meant to be broken,” she said and looked at me for a brief moment as if she was passing the message to me.

“No, I am not interested in mysteries,” Arpit said and the old lady left. Opening the car door I got out, “Anvi.” Bhai called but I had to meet this woman.

“Wait,” I shouted and started running to catch the woman.

“Anvi, where are you running off t?” Bhai yelled.

“Di.”

Arpit and Bhaiya were continuously calling me but my gaze and mind were only on that lady.

I stopped in mid-track for a while but soon started to run behind her and in the process collided with someone,

“I am sorry,” I said and helped the man I have collided with. His books had fallen down and as I was helping him he had a book named,” Rules are not meant to be broken.” He grabbed the book from me instantly and went away. He was going in the same direction that the old lady had gone.

“Anvi, stop.” Bhaiya was calling me but something in me was telling me to follow that lady.

The lady had crossed the road. She turned around and smiled at me. As I was crossing the road a kid passed by me but before reaching to another side he said: “Rules are not meant to be broken.”

I closed my ears as those words were continuously ringing in my ears and my mind since recess.

I removed my hands from my ears and heard Bhaiya and Arpit,

“Anvi, move.”

“Di, get back.”

I turned around and found them doing gestures at me. They were pointing towards my left and before I could realize what they were pointing at, it was too late.

I was flying in the air feeling just like a feather and in a moment I was on land. I had difficulty breathing and pain in several parts of my body. I was feeling numb and couldn’t even move. I could still see the old lady standing and smiling at me. That man and kid had joined the old lady. All of them had a smile on their face as if looking at me in that state was giving them immense pleasure. My hands got wet, when I raised my hand with difficulty and all I could see was red.

“Anvi.”

“Di.”

My brothers came in front of my sight. I could only see the blurry images. I did meet the same fate as my father as I was too hit by a truck. A lone tear escaped my eye remembering him and I took my last breath.